TellieFree script template
A sales discovery call script with five checkpoints
Five checkpoints, fifteen phrases, no order. Say any one of them anywhere in the call and that item ticks itself off.
minutes: 20 # Discovery call ## ! Who else has to say yes > key: who else, sign off, decide The people who are not on this call will still have an opinion when the invoice lands. Ask who has said no to something like this before. [listen] The name that comes back is the call you actually have to win. ## ! What happens if they do nothing > key: do nothing, live with it, stay as you are Usually "nothing much", and that is the real competitor: not another vendor, just the version of next quarter where nobody changed anything. Ask it plainly and let the answer be boring if it is boring. ## ! What they have already tried > key: already tried, didn't work, last time Whatever they tried before is the shape of what they expect from you, and the reason they will hesitate. Find out what broke, and who wore it. ## ! Money and timing > key: budget, this quarter, what does it cost Ask out loud, in the **same tone** as everything else. Late is worse than awkward, and a number you did not ask for is a number you will hear in six weeks from somebody who is not in this conversation. ## ! Agree the next step > key: next step, calendar, put time A date and a name, said by *them* and not by you. [pause] If they will not say it out loud, you have just learned the most useful thing on the call.
Nothing happened? Then Tellie is not on this Mac yet. It is a free download, and this script will open straight into it once it is.
About this template
A discovery call isn’t read top to bottom, so this script isn’t either. It’s five checkpoints: who decides, the cost of doing nothing, what they already tried, money and timing, and the next step. Each one checks itself off whenever the conversation gets there.
How to make it yours
- Open it in Tellie or save it as a .md file, then rewrite the words in your own voice.
- Keep the marks. A heading that starts with
## !is must-cover, and it turns green as you cover it. - After
> key:, list the phrases you would naturally say, separated by commas. Say any one of them and the point checks off, even in your own words. minutes:sets your time budget, so Tellie can give you a heads-up while there is still time to cover everything.
Questions
What questions should a sales discovery call cover?
At minimum: who else has to say yes, what happens if they do nothing, what they have already tried, budget and timing, and an agreed next step. This template turns each into a checkpoint you can cover in any order.
Can I keep a script open on a sales call without anyone seeing it?
Yes. Tellie sits in the Mac notch and is hidden from screen sharing on Zoom, Teams and Meet, so the checklist stays yours.